Converting a Mten3 to tubeless operation.

[xorbe]

What I learned from my tubeless Dualtron (scooter) tires is that one tiny nick to the inside of the wheel surface will require an entirely new wheel.  It won't ever seal properly again after that.  I wound up buying a wheel + pre-mounted tire for $75.

Edited May 12, 2021 by xorbe

[aviateNZ]

On 5/10/2021 at 8:30 AM, RagingGrandpa said:

But why use the larger valve stem and drill?

Howbout use the "Xiaomi valve stem" like Gotway does originally; no drill...

Sorry to dredge up an earlier post - I'm not overly active here.  The video your discussing is mine.  The simple answer is I would have loved to have a valve stem that (1) just fit the existing hole, and (2) was just a little bit shorter.  I'm in New Zealand so, while Amazon is awesome, it's typically a 2-3 week delay.  Aliexpress has been super unpredictable with COVID (can be months).  So I was stuck with what was available in country (or waiting which I wasn't overly interested in).  I ordered a handful of valve stems from an automotive wholesaler (I covered them later in the video and in the description), but none of them were realistically going to fit.  So it ended up that the best option I had was swinging by the local tire place and grabbing a TR412 and drilling the hole to match the TR412 spec.

TL;DR - if you can get a smaller valve - absolutely do it!  My patience didn't extend to the 3 week wait.

[Tawpie]

On 4/21/2021 at 4:21 AM, Gasmantle said:

I’d be interested to know what you think of yours after you've had it a few days, could you please update us if yours has similar problems - (hopefully yours will be trouble free though)

Here’s the update… the wheel arrived in FL with a flat tire (not a great sign), but was fine after pumping it up. It’s a 2 ply Innova 70/65-6.5. I rode it for a week in FL without problem, fiddling with the pressure every day to see what was least scary… settled on 28 lbs indicated by my four for $10 pressure estimator (I only buy the very very best tools).

Shipped it back home, which took a week—aaaaaannnnd the tire was flat. Pumped it back to 28 lbs and put 8 more miles on it, total mileage is 105. Golden!

Well, except today it’s down to 25 lbs so it has a slow leak.

Debating whether or not to put sealant in it (I use RideOn) but don’t want to—changing the tire will be fun enough without slippery slop all over the place.

@ShanesPlanet how’d your replacement tire work out?

What do I think of the MTen? Fun little beastie! Not for “getting places”, but for doodling aimlessly about it’s just the ticket. More than a little twitchy, it steers with my foot direction and that’s a bit unnerving but I’m getting the hang of it.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Tawpie

[.....]

35 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

Here’s the update… the wheel arrived in FL with a flat tire (not a great sign), but was fine after pumping it up. It’s a 2 ply Innova 70/65-6.5. I rode it for a week in FL without problem, fiddling with the pressure to see what was least scary… 28 lbs on my four for $10 pressure estimator (I only buy the very very best tools).

Shipped it back home, which took a week—aaaaaannnnd the tire was flat. Pumped it back to 28 lbs and put 8 more miles on it, total mileage is 105. Golden!

Well, except today it’s down to 25 lbs so it has a slow leak.

Debating whether or not to put sealant in it (I use RideOn) but don’t want to—changing the tire will be fun enough without slippery slop all over the place.

@ShanesPlanet how’d your replacement tire work out?

Get some dish soap and water in a spray bottle and spray the tire while inflated. If its a slow leak, youll need to do it in the shade on a cool tire, so the soap doesnt dry. Keep misting it. Pay particular attention to the area where the valve is pulled thru. Also put a tiny bit of water in where the core is. Sometimes the core is a slow leak. Keep at it diligently and eventually you will notice the trail of tiny bubbles. Changing the mten tire is a 30-45minute affair with basic tools. Be sure to check the pedal hangers while in there if you have to open it.

I made a video of my tire swap. In the end, I went back to the cheap ass stock 2 ply tire. The 4 ply tire was MUCH more solid and would probably last a LOT longer, along with resisting punctures. However, I just happen to be lucky with tires and it was too easy to change for me to worry about wearing too quickly (for now). WIth the added plies of the aftermarket tire, I could feel all the little rocks on my apshalt. It wasnt bad, but I really do use my mten for comfort above longevity. The 4 ply tire also turned in much easier, but the mten doesnt really need that quality. EIther was a fine choice, I just went back to the softie stock. Remember, Im only 130lbs and hate jumping. As of note, the 4 ply tire REQUIRED me to do the ratchet strap trick to inflate it. VERY stiff bead and getting it to take air, required that little trick. Probably doenst make you feel any better, but both my mtens have been holding air since I bought them, exlcuding typical loss due to compound porosity. No sealant or slime in mine.

 

Edited May 28, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

Thank you @ShanesPlanet, I’ll hope it’s the core cuz they’re easy! If not, maybe I’ll just pump it up every time. Somehow that seems easier than blindly reseating it although I probably could just break the bead and use bead sealant. Decisions decisions.

[.....]

12 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

Thank you @ShanesPlanet, I’ll hope it’s the core cuz they’re easy! If not, maybe I’ll just pump it up every time. Somehow that seems easier than blindly reseating it although I probably could just break the bead and use bead sealant. Decisions decisions.

Pumping it up may be easier, but what happens when you forget? I bet its a pin hole leak in the tire. If it is the bead, you may simply need steel wool the inside edge and clean the tire. They painted these newer version rims, its possible they didnt do a stellar job of painting and/or verifying clean metal before doing so.  You wont need to remove ANYTHING to clean the rim bead. Just take the core out, bust the bead down while on the wheel, and run a rag with paint thinner or basic steel wool. Reinstall core, reinflate, spray test again. Its easier if you have tiny thin fingers...

Edited May 28, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[OnOff]

I'm in the exact same case as @aviateNZ, I punctured my mten3 at the 10th km, probably because the wheel didn't have enough pressure in it and the rim pierced the tube against some bump. So naturally I'm inclined to consider the operation as well. But now that I have so much problems finding a repair shop that will do it and since I don't have any tools either, I'm being forced to reconsider.

Most repair shops around me tell me that a tubeless conversion would have to be done by changing the tyre and rim. With a double rim. Obviously this isn't true, but how it is so simple? AviateNZ didn't even change the tyre even when I suspect most other people here did. Why is it "necessary" when it isn't? Is it because the mten3 is actually a tubeless wheel with a tube slapped into it?

[Unipilot69]

You only need a phillips screwdriver, tire levers and a pump. There's 8 screws to split the shell and 6 screws per pedal hanger. I only take the pedal hanger off on the side without motor wires. Changing the tires is relatively straight forward. They're some videos posted online for the tire change. I used the small valve stems made for the Ninebot mini. I got mine from 4motion. I order two. The shipping was more than the cost of one part. I think someone on this forum posted a link from eBay for the same valve stem. The tires are shit quality. I ordered two tires from Amazon. My son had a blowout on the original tire. The Amazon tire looks exactly the same as the original but has a cleaner casting. I can change the tire in about twenty minutes. 

[Camenbert]

Is this what you guys are using?
What are the other wheels successfully converted with this on picture?
MCM5 any?

EDIT: I'll give a try on these $1.40... https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/4000512141965.html

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by Camenbert

[OnOff]

18 minutes ago, Unipilot69 said:

You only need a phillips screwdriver, tire levers and a pump. There's 8 screws to split the shell and 6 screws per pedal hanger. I only take the pedal hanger off on the side without motor wires. Changing the tires is relatively straight forward. They're some videos posted online for the tire change. I used the small valve stems made for the Ninebot mini. I got mine from 4motion. I order two. The shipping was more than the cost of one part. I think someone on this forum posted a link from eBay for the same valve stem. The tires are shit quality. I ordered two tires from Amazon. My son had a blowout on the original tire. The Amazon tire looks exactly the same as the original but has a cleaner casting. I can change the tire in about twenty minutes. 

This is actually quite the relief. Especially since I learned I don't need a drill since the proper (?) valve fits the original hole.

Ok I'll order a portable electric pump and a valve then. I will get a new tyre when the original one blows up. Thanks for all the info.

[Unipilot69]

When I first took the tire off the tube was scuffed all over and had at least a dozen pin holes in it. They weren't pinch flats. I think tire rubs the tube when it flexes. These are so small I think they were designed for tubeless. This size of tire was made for scooters. On unicycles the load doubles since there's only one.

[RagingGrandpa]

2 hours ago, Camenbert said:

I'll give a try on these $1.40... https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/4000512141965.html

That won't fit MTen3!
 

2 hours ago, Camenbert said:

Is this what you guys are using?
<xaomi scooter valve stem>

Yes!

Worked great for me (no drilling).

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by RagingGrandpa

[Camenbert]

1 hour ago, RagingGrandpa said:

That won't fit!

Sorry to disturb this topic about Mten, but this is to convert my MCM5.
Was you speaking about MCM5? Because as I see the small ones have even less chance to work on MCM5...

 

EDIT: I stop now to confuse this Mten conversation with other wheel(s),
I'm buying these ($1.39!) and will open a topic about MCM5 tubeless conversion when received

Edited June 8, 2021 by Camenbert

[Unipilot69]

I don't know what tire they put on the mcm5 but the one on my RS was to floppy to work as tubeless. I've ordered the cst 6004 from China. I'll attempt to make that one tubeless. They say it's a motorcycle tire. That should be stiff enough. When you get the old tube out measure the rim hole. I think the smallest valve stems might be too small. I don't have the mcm5 but there's teardown videos posted as well. Electric unicycles don't require any special tools. Just common hand tools and some ingenuity.

 

 

 

[OnOff]

This is to add my experience about the operation.

My tube burst after the 1st 10km of my wheel's life... I immediately decided to go tubeless due to reading all the shit that goes on with the tubes in the mten3.

It's really not that difficult. All I had to do was find a bicycle repair shop willing to do it (that was the hard part) and find the valve. Compatible with a bunch of dualtron scooters as well. (Length: 24mm/0.94" ; Applicable hole diameter: ≤9mm/0.35")

I paid next to nothing, 6€ for the valve, the shop did it for free because it took them 10' to do it.

So I really recommend that you go tubeless immediately, there's really no good reason to buy tubes, the tyre is fine, I don't think you need to change it to go tubeless.

Hope this helps.

[Paulstudmuff]

Can you please provide an updated link for the valve stem, or better yet provide the brand name, part #, hole diameter of the valve stem? I am having a difficult time finding a valve stem to work with this wheel.

[Scottie]

48 minutes ago, Paulstudmuff said:

Can you please provide an updated link for the valve stem, or better yet provide the brand name, part #, hole diameter of the valve stem? I am having a difficult time finding a valve stem to work with this wheel.

https://more4motion.com/collections/mini-pro-tires/products/valve-for-mini-pro-tire

[MEX9]

On 7/24/2021 at 11:31 AM, OnOff said:

This is to add my experience about the operation.

My tube burst after the 1st 10km of my wheel's life... I immediately decided to go tubeless due to reading all the shit that goes on with the tubes in the mten3.

It's really not that difficult. All I had to do was find a bicycle repair shop willing to do it (that was the hard part) and find the valve. Compatible with a bunch of dualtron scooters as well. (Length: 24mm/0.94" ; Applicable hole diameter: ≤9mm/0.35")

I paid next to nothing, 6€ for the valve, the shop did it for free because it took them 10' to do it.

So I really recommend that you go tubeless immediately, there's really no good reason to buy tubes, the tyre is fine, I don't think you need to change it to go tubeless.

Hope this helps.

OnOff, I just wanted to thank you for your post - it sums up everything in this thread nicely. My mTen3 is less than a month old and I have my first "puncture" - inverted commas because I can't see any sign of an actual puncture - I have a deflated tyre though so it's probably the rubbing issue that other people have found. I'm only 60kgs and it shouldn't have happened. I've ordered the xiaomi valve stem (thank you aviateNZ). So glad this forum exists - standing on the shoulders of giants. I plan to find a nice bike shop to help me out. I'll report my findings.

Nik

 

[MEX9]

I have an update.

I ordered this valve last Saturday:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164828462440?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

If this link dies months after writing the post, the keywords are valve, xiaomi, M365. Came as a pack of 2 for £5.16. It arrived yesterday. Took the mTen3 to a local bike shop near my work in my lunch break today. Surprisingly and disappointingly to me, they wanted nothing to do with it. I explained it would probably only take them 15mins but they told me not to believe everything I read on the internet. Frustrating. Anyway, I bought some tubeless sealer from them. They didn't have the muc-off one. They had Orange Seal Endurance Sealant which I bought for £11.

I watched aviateNZ's video a few times and basically did what he did with a few differences.

- With the valve that I ordered, I didn't need to drill any holes. The valve fits the stock hole just fine. Once I'd lined up the valve with my fingers, I used the gold extender to pull the valve tight into the hole.

- I don't have a compressor. I do have a cheap Halfords floor stand track pump though and as far as I can tell, it worked.

- Getting the sealer into the tyre was fiddly. The pipe didn't easily fit over the valve (with the core taken out). I had to soften the tip of the pipe by dipping it into boiling water and then stretching it over the valve. It was fine after this.

With the help of my wife, it took us about 30mins.

I don't know if it worked yet though. I'm leaving it overnight to let the sealant seal and I'll test in the morning. Some q's come to mind though. Reading back through the posts, Bedode have alternated between tubed and tubeless versions of the wheel. Why not stick with the tubeless version. Is the cost of the sealer required more than the cost of the tube? 

@aviateNZ thanks a MILLION for making your youtube vid about this. But how did you make the leap that the stock tyre could possibly work as a tubeless tyre. I never would have made that assumption. I hope you're right though! I think this was the biggest issue that the bike shop had and ultimately why they weren't willing to help.

I'll report back tomorrow and let you know if it worked or not.

Nik

[RagingGrandpa]

3 minutes ago, MEX9 said:

how did you make the leap that the stock tyre could possibly work as a tubeless tyre

Beware using tube-type tires without the tube installed. It may seem OK for a while but the carcass is not designed for it. Mine disintegrated...

(The tire should be marked "tubeless" on the sidewall)

[MEX9]

11 hours ago, RagingGrandpa said:

Beware using tube-type tires without the tube installed. It may seem OK for a while but the carcass is not designed for it. Mine disintegrated...

(The tire should be marked "tubeless" on the sidewall)

Roughly how many miles did you get on it before failure. As far as I can tell, my stock tire does not say tubeless anywhere on it - hence my q to @aviateNZ.  I found the initials T.W.I. on it. Google tells me this stands for tread wear indicator though.

This morning, the tire feels solid. About to ride it now. 🤞🏼

[MEX9]

Final update. I've put about 10km on the wheel over the weekend and so far no issues. I forgot to mention that I didn't need to dremel or alter the valve cap. Another advantage of using the xiaomi valve. Regarding the feel of the ride - it feels great! I'll report again when the tyre eventually fails. But on a final note, it makes more sense to me economically and ecologically to wear this tyre down before getting a replacement tubeless tyre.

Hope my series of posts helps the next person in need of advice.  

[RagingGrandpa]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:29 PM, RagingGrandpa said:

Beware using tube-type tires without the tube installed. It may seem OK for a while but the carcass is not designed for it. Mine disintegrated...

(The tire should be marked "tubeless" on the sidewall)

 

On 9/24/2021 at 4:03 AM, MEX9 said:

Roughly how many miles did you get on it before failure?

About 300 miles...

[Student4Life]

I started an iFixit for mTen3 tubeless conversion.